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My BlogSCRIBBLE AND EDIT reflects my love of creative writing, design, literature and film. Check out my Poems & haiku, Romantic Flash Fiction; Blogfest Entries; Blog Awards and other prose and Flash Fiction. Do bear with me, as I will reciprocate with those genuine commenters on my blog. BTW I sometimes withhold comments for challenges until later. Comments about the post are much appreciated. Thank you.Comments based on others' comments can lead to misunderstandings that spread like whispers!

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Monday, 3 October 2016

Gritty realism at its best

A friend introduced me to The Colour of Milk, It is set in 1831 by fifteen-year-old Mary, who had been toiling on her
father's farm with her three sisters. She is sent to care for the local
vicar's invalid wife. As events unfold, it slowly becomes apparent why
it is so important that she keep a record of what has happened.

Now I'm reading Memoirs of a Dipper.

If you can't cope
with harrowing, distressing realism, then these books are not for you. I must
confess I have found this second read harder going. I had been feeling quite
down lately and came to the conclusion that this novel has been affecting my
mood dramatically.

(Poor Ginger and
all the young children in real life, who meet the same, all too common grizzly
end.)

The stories are brilliantly told and I
am a huge fan of Nell Leyshon as she writes so well with such a
compelling individual voice, so I think this book will either have
to be put aside, until I feel robust enough to finish it, or read during the day only, rather than evenings.

A bookshop friend said to me: "I don't do harrowing..."

Do you?

10th Oct 2016. I finished 'Memoirs of a Dipper'. It is an excellent book, well crafted and written. Despite the sad chapter with Ginger, I would highly recommend it.